Collateral  It Started Like Any Other Night
by krazykiwi16
Summary: Collateral, but i changed the main character,and a few bits and pieces in the movie. Raven picks up Vincent,and a night that started like any other night,has changed for the worse.Will she survive? Just read it summary sucks.
1. Chapter 1

Collateral is not mine, but Raven and story is.

Hope you enjoy

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Los Angeles International Airport ~ Bradley Terminal ~ 8:15pm

An arriving passenger. Suit. Shirt. Tie. Sunglasses and expensive briefcase. He bumps into a stranger, or so it seems…

'Sorry, are you okay? The guy in the suit says while putting down his briefcase, the other man also puts his briefcase on the ground.

'Yeah, yeah I am mate. Enjoy LA man' the other man says with a smile on his face. Vincent grabs the briefcase of the other man and he leaves the airport, while the other picks up Vincent's briefcase and disappears.

Outside with other taxis.

'Even if the sky is falling down' man I love this tune, hopefully customers won't come and ruin my chillaxing time, but hey I need them to come if I need money. The door opens and a guy with an expensive looking suit enters my cab, I quickly put the music down and say 'Hello'

'Hi, can you take me to 452 South Union Street'

'Gotcha' I start driving towards his destination, man this guy is obviously rich, well I hope he gives me a good tip.

'So how long do you think it'll take?'

'Um, I don't know'

'U don't know?' eyebrow arching

'Well, I can probably guess, but it'll probably earn u a free ride, which would suck for me'

I see him smiling in my centre mirror, it's kinda cute, and he seems cool as well

_Weird kid, but oh well_

'But I have to say, your cab is pretty clean'

'Hahaha well yeah, my mum says the cab is miles cleaner than my room'

'Mum?'

I feel my cheeks burn 'I-well meant my mother' _seems like she's embarrassed, cute._

'Uh huh? How old are you?'

'I'm eighteen' _young_

'Are you a high school dropout?'

'No way, I just need extra cash, you know, to take care of my family and besides I'm on holiday so its fine for a few months'

'You're pretty cool you know'

'Um, well thanks' feeling my cheeks getting hot again

'I like people like you, you're someone whose pro-active'

'Well I can be lazy'

'Hahaha'

This guy is not a stressful customer, phew and he's cute which is a plus hehee.

452 South Union Street 9:28pm

'Well here we are' working out the price

'Um, listen, I'm in town on a real estate deal. One night, collect signatures, see some friends. Then I got a six am out of LAX. Why don't you hang with me for the night?

'Well - er – I'd love to, but it's against regs, and my shift fins-'

'How about I give you six hundred dollars' whipping cash out and displaying it like a fan in his hand, just like magic.

'And an extra hundred if you get me to LAX and I don't run for my plane'

I could not stop staring at the money; I mean normally I earn like two fifty to four hundred a shift, I could earn like seven hundred in one night, well if this guy insists.

'Okay, I guess' suddenly feeling guilty

Smiling he says 'Here's three hundred down already' putting cash in my hand and giving me a firm handshake at the same time.

'What's your name?'

'Raven'

'I'm Vincent' and telling me to go round the back, I leave him to his business.

I park the car, and putting my music up loud again, ah great my favorite song is playing, I start singing along with the music 'I'm only gonna break break your, break break your heart' I look at the back and see his expensive looking briefcase, man this guy is all about expensive looking huh? Jeez rich people, I feel like I was tricked, but oh well I got more than a good tip so it's all good. Some of this can go towards Melanie and Melissa, and I can spend some of it on me as well. I start singing again as the chorus comes on again.

'If fall for me, I'm not easy to please, I might tear you apart, told you from the start, baby from the start, I'm onl-'

WHAM! The cab starts rocking on its wheels, and I hear glass raining down I crouch into a ball, man I feel like my cab is gonna explode or something, and then sudden silence. What the hell? An earthquake? I look through the windshield to see what's happened, a face of a dead man stares at me, I make a stupid high pitched 'eeeee' sound and frantically get out of the cab, well I actually fall out of the cab in a panic, I shakily get up and take a deep breath. Okay the guy is angled across part of my cab roof and the windshield. Dude's wearing a bathrobe, and there are shards of glass everywhere, it makes a halo around my cab, where the hell did that much glass come from. I look up; I see the window on the top floor is broken out, its white curtain flaps  
in the breeze. Hmm I see, so that's how it is, the guy jumped, ah poor dude, was living in a crappy apartment and being overweight too much for you? But still, you didn't have to fall on my cab now did you? Jeez.

_What the hell? Why's Raven out of her cab, shit I see my guy had landed on our cab, great._

I see Vincent entering the alley, and stopping suddenly

'Yo Vincent' _She's amazingly calm even though a dead guy landed on her cab; I'm surprised she can keep her head in this not so normal situation._

'You see this? The guy's a jumper, but he landed on my car' _Pfft pretty innocent this kid_

'Think he's dead, guesss we should call the police or something'

'I don't think so'

'Oh ok' Wait, he doesn't want to call anyone, what? He wants to leave the guy here or something, and I have this sudden feeling that Vincent has something to do with our dead guy here.

'Um, did you by any chance throw him out of the window?' please let me be wrong

'No' phew

'I shot him, the bullets and the fall killed him'

Ah

'Heh I prefer my suicide story' slowly retreating backwards

'Whoa. Wait, red light Raven' aiming a gun at me, fuck, this can't be happening, this is surreal, is this some fucking movie or something?

'Oi' Oops I completely ignored the guy with gun while I was having the mental babble in my head

'Sorry' shit this is it

_Guess I should kill her, but that would probably draw more attention, well she seems to be fairing well and it's not like she'll be able to go up against me._

'Pop the trunk'

I'm lost 'Huh?'

'.Trunk' he wants me to go in there, he's not gonna kill me?

I get to my cab and push the button

'Okay come here' I follow him to the side of my cab, and without warning he pulls off the dead guy off my cab, I recoil back, shit!

'Grab his hands'

'Huh? Why the fuck would I want to do that for' crossing my arms

_What's this? Get rid of the nice girl cab driver and all you got is a sulky teenager. Great._

'Well I can't leave him here, so unless you want fatso riding up with you…..and given the hygiene and his sphincters, let's put him in the trunk'

'But I don't wanna'

'Well given what I got in my back pocket, you don't have much of a choice' giving me a spine chilling smile

'Fine' I grab the guy's forearms and lift; damn this guy's heavy, then

'Waaaah' I drop the body and flinch away

'What the hell are you doing!'

'He was twitching, so he's like alive right?'

'He was having a fucking dead guy's spasm, so stop acting like a pussy and lift!'

_She lifts the body, but I hear I mumble 'fucking retard, as if I would know that dead guys would have spasms' I couldn't help but smile_

'Well you better get used to it'

Wise guy

We heave the body inside the trunk, and I start getting my breath back. Vincent throws his tie into the truck and says to the dead guys 'Never heard of a treadmill?' Before slamming the trunk.

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Would love for reviews plz :) x


	2. Chapter 2

_Six litres of blood and you had to get it on the cab, pouring bottled water all over the cab, there that should be good enough._

'Oi, kid get in the car' _I look and see she has something to say, but is biting her lip, hesitating._

'Um, why don't you take the cab?'

'Take the cab?'

'Yeah, you see, if you take it, you won't have to deal with my bullshit, and hey don't worry about the seven hundred bucks, and no one checks these cabs anyway, and later I'll say that er, that, well I won't tell anyone'

'Really' I nod

'You won't tell anyone' I nod again

'That's nice of you, now get in the fucking cab!' damnnit! It didn't work

'Tch' it was worth a try

I get in, Vincent gets in the back and I turn the engine on and pull out of the alley into the main streets.

While the taxi leaves, another car appears, it cruises down the street and stops in front of the apartment building. A guy emerges, gel backed hair, an earring, black suit, could be a player or a dealer, well he looks like he could kick your ass if he wanted to, he heads towards the entry gate, rings the buzzer, waits. Rings again. Nothing. He pulls a thin plastic card from an inner pocket of his jacket and jimmies the door lock. He goes up to the third floor and goes along the walkway looking for the right room. He knocks on a door, the door swings in slightly; he glances down and sees the lock was pulled. He tenses and his hand goes to his holster at his hip, and draws a Beretta, and pushes the door all the way open. The room is in shambles, old take outs rotting everywhere, a TV left on, the guy looks around cautiously, alert for any movement or sound.

'Ramone? Estas fiestando con una chica?

Nobody answers, the guy is worried now, and warily enters the bedroom, and he sees the broken window, its glass missing, he leans out and sees a circle of broken glass and in the centre a big blank spot.

'Fuck' and he produces a radio

'Detective Fanning here, we got situation at South Union' he's a cop.

'Okay go to 7565 Fountain. You know it?' looking at his PC

'Huh? Why?'

'Were you deaf? I said I had five stops to make, one down four to go'

'But, aren't you gonna just throw them all out of a window'

'He fell'

'Same thing, you were the cause'

'Er, not really' _really don't get her point here_

'Just shush, anyway who was he? What did he do to you?'

'He was a nobody and nothing'

'Nothing? So you meet a guy and you shoot the hell out of him'

'Look bitch, why are you getting so worried about it? Just keep driving and stop asking questions'

Shaking my head I say 'Man, seriously' I keep driving still thinking about it, hmmm

'Wait! You, you're a, you can't be a hired hitman?'

'Wow congratulations, great, well done you, for using your common sense'

I pout 'now I feel like you're babying me or something'

'Yeah I am, and fatso in the back was apart of a criminal organization'

'Yeah but you're obviously working for another criminal organization' _smart kid_

'How do you know things like this?'

'Watch the right movies and you're educated' _Heh I guess, but kid in the movies the good guy always wins, but in real life, the bad guys are the ones who win._

Suddenly, I'm distracted by flashing lights behind me, and I see oh no, an LAPD cruiser behind us, the rooftop lights flashing.

'Shit'

'Great, just my fucking luck'

'Please pull the vehicle over to the curb' ah so they were after us, damn, damn damn.

I pull over, and through my centre window I see two cops emerging from the patrol car, approaching us slowly

'Get rid of them'

'How'

'You're a girl, use your sex appeal, and get them to go away'

'S-Sex appeal' blushing yet again 'look man I'm no slut so I have no idea how to seduce a guy, and I never been with one, and being all girly girl isn't exactly my forte' _I guess I understand, the way she dresses in all black, and I don't see any cleavage_

'Anyway, get rid of them'

The cops are now circling to either side of the cab, using torchlight's

I look back and see Vincent taking the briefcase off his lap, and spreading opening his jacket, if he does that, it mean s he can reach for his gun easily.

'Wait, don't do anything'

Referring to the cops he says 'probably married'

A cop's hand raps loudly on the window his gold wedding band catching the light as it taps on the glass, I feel a stab in my heart, please let everything go alright.

'Maybe that one's got kids. Maybe his wife's pregnant' this cold hearted bastard

'I got this dude' rolling down the window

'Hello' I smile

The cop on my side shines torchlight at me, and the one on the other side check Vincent in the back, I see him smile so good naturedly in my mirror. Oi oi stop the act, you are so not good natured.

The cop on my side says 'Hi, license and registration please' I get them out of my purse and hand them over, the cop examines them.

'We pulled you over because your windshield's smashed, all of this current?

'Yes, officer'

I noticed that the cop has been beaming his torchlight on the cracked windshield and damaged hood, with a serious look.

'Is this blood?'

Shit! 'Yeah' my throat is dry

'How did this happen?'

Gotta think fast 'Well a deer bashed into my car' _A deer? really kid, nice imagination_

'Where?'

'Slauson' I say a bit too quickly _too fast kid, they are gonna clock on, but well done for not doing anything stupid _

'A South Central Deer? _Ooh how you gonna answer this kid?_

'I-How the hell I'm supposed to know if its south or north or eastern? All I know the thing had four legs and two sticks coming out of its head' _Pfffttt it's too much, I can't hold it in I'm gonna laugh_

I hear all three of them sniggering, I press on

'But I had a passenger, and his wife is at home alone and needs medication cuz, she- she's got Huntington's and as to have treatment like soon. I tried to tell him I couldn't but he insisted and I didn't' wanna be responsible for something wrong' _wow that's some impressive skills there, it's a good thing I didn't kill you, now I need to do my act_

'Is this true?' asking Vincent

'yes officer it is, I'm sorry for any trouble I've cause for my selfishness'

'No don't worry sir, and kid hurry and drop him and get back to the barn, I'll call your depot'

'Yes, thank you officers'

Vincent watched both cops pile into the police car, and drive off, he turns to the front and sees Raven, her forehead on the steering wheel, deep breathing.

'That was a really good story'

I get up and glare at him 'Yeah, well I didn't do it for you, I did it so they wouldn't get killed' _she's shaking again but there's no fear, she's got guts this one, she dares to look at me with anger in her eyes._

'Anyways we've got a job to do, so drive'

'Damn you!'

'Stop whining'


	3. Chapter 3

We stop; I see the penthouse, looks rich.

'I thought Californians exercised?' Vincent's talking to himself, I look at the centre mirror, he's looking at his PC, and then he pulls an identity card, and shit! A second gun from his briefcase. I turn slightly so I can better see his gun, he moves the slide, and I see a round in the chamber, as he holsters it in the small of his back, he notices me looking, damn!

'What you looking at! He sounds angry

'N-Nothing' facing forward

He gets out and enters the passenger seat next to me, I watch him carefully for any violent moves.

'Hands on the wheel' that's weird

'Eh? Why?'

'Cuz I told you to'

'That's no reason' but I put my hands on the wheel anyway, and he quickly binds my hands to the steering wheel with, I can't believe this, plastic ties, are assassins too cheap to go round buying handcuffs, because if anyone was to see this, its fucking embarrassing. Ah, just realized I can't escape, damn he's sharp. As he heads out of the car….

'Ravvvveeeennnn' my dispatch radio whines in a bitchy female voice

'That bitch' I hate my dispatcher, I hate her so much I wish she could die from her sun beds

'Oi bitch! I know you're out there, I know how you're trying to ignore me, pick up the radio you whore!' Grrr, if I wasn't tied to the steering wheel I would have a few words to say of my own to her, that blonde bitch!

'Who..is that?' Oh yeah, Vincent hasn't left

'Christina, my dispatcher'

'Oiii, pick it up, or I'll force you to do morning shifts'

'Look man, I gotta answer it, she'll just carry on, and on, and her voice is like a fucking bug, just annoying the shit out of you' I can't believe I'm pleading with him, but I don't want my mornings off gone, that's precious time for me.

Vincent sits back down beside me and reaches across and pulls the mike off the dash, and holds it up to my mouth

'Don't blow it' he stares at my eyes, a silent but threatening gesture

I nod, Vincent thumbs the toggle

'Yo, mega bitch wassup?' don't worry I always talk to her like this

'I just got off the fucking phone with the fucking cops, and they keep calling to check you brought the cab in' oh yeah. I look at Vincent, he shrugs and thumbs the toggle, what a big help he is.

'Yeah? So?'

''Well bitch, first thing, I hate talking to cops; second they told me you crashed the fucking cab?'

'Ah that, a deer crashed into me! I never-'

'I don't care; this is coming out of your pocket'

'What the fuck? Fuc-'

'Wait' switching the toggle off _I see she's angry, angrier then she is with me_

'Tell her it was an accident, you're are not liable' what? you want me to act so posh and polite, no way!

'Bullshit! It was an accident, I ain't liable' _you could have not said bullshit, but then again her dispatcher is very harsh on her, she hasn't done anything wrong_

'Whatever bitch, I hate you, so I'm making you liable'

'Watch when I fucking come down there and slap all that fucking make up off your face!...' _well I'm glad she's responding and arguing back but she's doing it the very unintelligent way._

Vincent quickly puts the mike to his mouth and thumbs the toggle. Eh? Weren't I in the middle of an argument

'She's not paying you a damn thing'

'Who the hell are you jack ass!'

'Richard Ricardo, Assistant U.S Attorney, 'just because you hate her?' what kind of bullshit is that! She's a hard working girl, and you know that your collision policy and general liability will cover the damages'

'….'

'Wow, you got her to shut up, that a feat that's never been accomplished, you are really good at acting'

Vincent clicks off, hangs up the mike. He smiles 'don't wait up hon, I gotta work late'

He grabs the ignition keys, and shuts my door and strolls away, I mumble 'Don't call me hon, you old pervert'

I watch through my windshield as he vanishes into the building, and I'm left alone, trapped in my own cab in the alley, I jerk and strain and pull against the plastics ties, trying to free my hands, it doesn't work, I give up, already breathing heavily.

Meanwhile in the penthouse

An overweight lawyer separates from two girls and a second man to answer a phone

'He identify himself?...Sure let him up'

**Back in the cab**

'You could of left the music on' I wonder why this had to happen, I mean it started off like any other night, ah I guess it's a coincidence, well I hope it is.

I look through the windshield, its empty, it's kinda scary, and something catches my eye, I look at the top of the penthouse, and see a flash light up the window, like flashbulbs going off, and another flash, oh no, it can't be, a third flash, jesus! Is it him?

'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit' how many times did he fire his gun, did he kill anyone innocent up there?, man…He's gonna kill me, not now, but eventually he'll pull the trigger on me, I'm really scared, I wanna go home…

I then see a moving silhouette, its Vincent he looks so calm and collected, and then out of no where these two white guys come out.

'Yo whassup?' Both men are in baggies, hoodies and they have lots of tattoos, very suspicious people.

One pulls out a gun and aims it at Vincent, yep very suspicious people.

'Give me your wallet!'

'Woah, hey homie'

'You want my money?' I feel like something bad is going to happen

One guy approaches Vincent from the front, and the other circles and approaches his Vincent's left, pulling his gun out

'Yeah, yeah I do want your money and anything else you got' He closes on Vincent with the gun aimed to Vincent's head, then without warning Vincent's slam's aside the other man's gun. Draws his gun and BANG BANG, the first guy receives two very loud gunshots, then Vincent swivels to the left and BANG BANG BANG, the other guy is dead before he hits the ground, Shit that all happened in like two seconds. Fuck I'm shaking. The guys never saw it coming, the second guy is dead, the other is on the ground, he seems to be moaning, BANG, I hear the echo of the gunshot in my ear, that…that was harsh….shooting him in the..the head…, I'm frozen, I…I can't. The passenger door opens and Vincent enters.

'Hey'

'Um, Hey'

'Let me get those'

He flicks his hand, a folding switchblade, razor sharp; he leans over and he frees my hand from the steering wheel

'Oh look, you're low on gas'

'Huh? Oh Yeah?' _Looks like the realization of what's happening has sunk in and she fully understands what is happening, well about time I reckon_


	4. Chapter 4

We're at a gas station; I'm filling up my car, Vincent's off to the side. He's so calm it's unnerving, it's like what happened earlier did not happen. I…I just witnessed a violent death, and on top of that just realized the lethal capabilities of Vincent; he's a natural born killer. I have to be careful with this guy, and not piss him off.

But there's this one question I wanna ask.

'Uh, Vincent, have you ever heard of collateral?'

'Yeah, someone who at the wrong at the wrong time, they didn't need to be killed'

'Vincent?' _her voice is so soft now, I can hardly hear her_

'Am I collateral?' there's a long pause before Vincent answers me

'I haven't decided' a glimmer of hope? I don't know what he means by that but if there is a time when Vincent draws a gun on me I'm fighting for my life.

'But hey! New news. We're ahead of schedule' HUH? What's with his unexpectedly mood change!

'Oookay?'

'We got time to kill, so do you like jazz?'

'Err, to be honest….No'

'Anyway this guy told me about a place off Crenshaw. Leimert Park, where all the West Coast greats played. Dexter Gordon, Thelonious Monk. Chet Baker' who the hell are they? I don't know any of them

_Heh, guess she doesn't know who they are, well the young people today aren't into jazz as we were, but I ain't going there cuz of the jazz…I have a job to do there….._

'I'll buy you a drink, and the jazz will expand your horizons'

I still don't get his mood change, he's like really excited now, oh well at least he ain't gonna kill anyone. For now.

Meanwhile, at South Union Apartment Building….

The alley is filling up with police cars, cops and forensic technicians, and Ray Fanning, and his superior Weidner enter the crime scene

'This informant of yours, what's his name, Ramone?'

'Yeah Ramone Gallardo, supposed to take him out for a drink. I come here, find this' indicting to the glass

'You've been working him?'

'Four moths, a low level player, he's been feeding me stuff on Felix-R'

'- Reyes-Torrnna? Forget that man; the feds are all over that. They don't want us anywhere near it'

'Who cares? My C.I flew out of a window, he's got Felix's handprints on his ass, and so that makes it ours!'

'Where's the homicide Ray? Where's a body? All we got is glass'

'And blood….' A criminalist says

'Huh?'

'Look, blood down here, and in the glass…and here's some more….and small splatter patterns here' shining her torch to show it the two cops.

'So Ramone flew out of the window, went splat, glass here, and then some tires roll over it'

'Maybe he jumped'

'Sure, he depressed so he jumps four stories out of a window onto is head ''Wow that feels better!'' Picks himself up. '' Now, I think I'll go on with the rest of my day'' I don't think so'

'Ray! Catch' Ray looks up and see a cop at the broken window dangling a clear plastic baggy. He drops it, and its falls in to Fanning' grasp, he shows it to Weidner, the bag contains two shell casings. Hmmm

Weidner sees another cop and asks him 'So, any witnesses?

'Well, an old guy across the street, who lives above the deli, he says he saw a cab parked here earlier tonight, and saw a guy and a girl working under the hood'

'Descriptions of them? What exactly did he see?'

'Well he says the guy was wearing a suit, and the girl was in black clothes, and she looked hot, but the old guy does have glasses like coke bottles'

'And what kind of cab?' Fanning asks

'He says it's definitely a taxi cab'

'There are four thousand taxis in LA County, anything else?'

Silence

However, Fanning lost in thought…

'Hey Weidner, remember in 2001 in Oakland, a cabbie drove around all night, killing three people and then flipped out and put the gun to his head?'

'Yeah, So what?'

'So the Oakland detective, whatisname, he never bought'

'Why?' Weidner is now interested at what Fanning is getting at.

'Well the cabbie had no criminal record, no history of mental illness, and just pops three people, and then himself? And the victims weren't random; they were involved in a pharmaceutical scam'

'Okay, so what did the detective think?'

'That there was somebody else in that cab'

At Daniel's Jazz Club…

The club is dark and elegant, the room has a 60's modern jazz atmosphere, with the low ceilings, small tables, leatherette booths, and the room is full of history. A jazz quartet playing on stage, and customers clustered at small tables watching the band play. And on one table is Vincent and Raven…..

'This...is jazz?' man its so dry, and there's no one singing, or dancing

'Yup'

'You're really an old man you know?'

'Hahaha, you need to enjoy it, look if you hear the music, you'll notice he's off melody, behind the notes, improvising off impulse. Kind of like…tonight' looking at me with a grin on his face

'Yeah, I can agree with you there' putting my elbow on the table and placing my chin in my hand, emphasizing that I'm still bored. A waitress arrives with a tray of drinks, and places a drink in front of me. I didn't order this.

'Um…'

'The gentleman over there told me to bring over to you'

'Seriously?' I look at the direction she pointed to, and find him, he's young, shaven face, blue eyes, black suit, and black hair, Caucasian, very handsome I must admit, Ah eye contact I look away and push the drink away.

'Wow, so this must happen all the time then?'

'No way! I'm not interested, and I don't exactly have time right now to respond to him with you here'

'True, he might die because of you' Scary

'Whatever' placing my head on the table, closing my eyes…..

Vincent notices that the guy in the black suit gets up and gives Vincent a cold stare before leaving. _Jealous much?_

'Why you smiling for?'

'Nothing' Weirdo. He's all smug and shit.


	5. Chapter 5

Another waitress arrives to Raven and Vincent's table with a tray of drinks

'Another Vodka tonic, hon?'

'Yeah, and one for my friend please?' who the hell is your friend prick? Man this guy! Every little thing he does pisses me off!

'Who's on the tenor sax?'

'That's Daniel baby, he's the owner'

'He's terrific. Would you be so kind as to invite him over after his set' he tucks in a twenty dollar bill into her apron 'I gotta buy him a drink'

'Sure thing darlin'

Vincent gives her a radiant smile and she walks off…..

'You must have a lot of time on your hands if we're gonna be sitting here talking to the guy, but I ain't complaining'

Raven is oblivious to the silent Vincent, who has a serious look on his face, as he stares at the sax player on the stage….

…Daniel has been sharing more than a few drinks with Vincent and Raven, the place is almost closed, and it's just the three of them.

'I was a young cat back then, about nineteen, bussin tables. Right here, it didn't pay but shit, but that wasn't the point. Being around the music, that was the thing' Still sounds kinda lame to me, I'd rather work where there's a lot of money.

'Take this one night, July 22 1964, guess who walks in. Mr Louis Armstrong!' Never heard of him before

'You're kidding me' I'm guessing the guy was way before my time

'Right through those doors. The man himself'

'Jesus..' Weird, Vincent seems more human somehow…

'He was in town playing two gigs a night at the Coconut Grove in the Ambassador Hotel. After his last set, he decides to come on down to South Central to hang with his people. That's how he was, you see. Never forgot who we were. Money and fame and all that meant nothing to him, as long as he could blow that horn'

'So before you know it, he's up on that stage, doing his thing'****

Since I had been silent for a long time and was kinda bored I thought I might as well speak too

'Was it great? Well I mean it had to be…'

Like Winton Marsalis says, it was pure, spiritual essence. Louis was playing. God was smiling' so was Daniel himself, seems like both him and Vincent are enjoying themselves, that's good

'You heard Armstrong play live. I've never been this jealous. You get to talk to him?'

'Did better then that' grinning

We give a questioning look. Daniel smiles, raises his hands, mimes blowing a trumpet.

'No' Vincent says in disbelief

'Cool' well I had nothing else to say

'Dix Dawyer the guy who owned this place back then, let slip to Louis I played. So he waves me right up. My heart about stopped, but I got up there all the same, and we played for nearly twenty minutes '

Vincent turns to me 'Unbelievable, you hearing this?'

'Err, yeah I am' I'm drawn into the story in spite of what's been happening tonight

'Erm, how did you do?'

'How do you think? You ain't shit when you're playing next to Louis Armstrong. But he was kind, he could see me trying. He carried my ass as best he could'

'I was born in 1945, but that was the moment of my conception. Right here in the used to be crowded room'

'Crowds not here now?' Vincent asks

'Oh, well jazz ain't the draw it used to be'

'Damn straight, it's all about RnB and Rock'

'Well those are nice music too' Daniel says smiling at me, oops maybe shouldn't have said that, but he seems nice about it. I smile back.

'But the place looks great'

'Thanks'

'What a great story. I gotta tell the folks in Culiacan and Bogota that story'

I notice Daniel's hand freezes as he's about pour more drinks. He glances up at Vincent, I'm not sure what's going on but it ain't good

'You know the people in Culiacan and Bogata?'

Softly Vincent says 'Fraid so'

'And here I thought you were such a cool guy'

'I am a cool guy. With a job I was hired to do. You know how it is' Shit! Just realized what's happening, but what's this regret in Vincent's tone, man my heart is pounding..

'Whoa! Just wait! Please Vincent, you don't need to kill him? Let's do a bit of improv right?'

'Hehe. Improv? If only life was just that simple, now quiet! I'm working' _I guess it's worth a shot_

'Okay, fine! How's this? I'll ask a question?'

'What question?'

'A Jazz question. You get it right, we roll. You disappear. Tonight. You don't go home, you don't pack a bag, you leave town, and nobody, and I mean nobody ever hears from you again'

I'm surprised he's even considered about letting him go, please let everything turn out alright

'I will take you word. And I will give you mine. If I walk out of here tonight, I'd go so far away; it'd be just like I was dead'

_We have a deal_

I see Vincent nod. He doesn't say anything, but I notice he eases something form his waistband. Oh no! My heart is pounding in my throat, and my hands are starting to shake, I place them on top of my knees so nobody sees them.

'Lay it on'

'It's simple. What was Louis' first musical instrument?'

'I know all there is to know about Louis'

'Then let's have it'.

'Coronet. Bought it form a New Orleans pawnshop when he was kid. Cost him five dollars.

The moment now is frozen, seems like a endless pause, I hold my breath, it sounded like the right answer, I stare at Vincent, waiting for his reaction **  
**  
_I'm sorry_

'POP POP POP'

The gun came up so fast I didn't even see it; it's a different gun with a thick, silent barrel. Daniel's head falls forward, I see a red mist swilling in the air, disappearing in seconds, I'm….I'm…Fuck I …the gun was so close, I could feel the heat. I leave.

_I catch Daniel's head as it falls forward, and arrange Daniel's arms so that his head can rest on them, as if he's taking a nap. This feeling? Is it…regret? No I never have regret for any of my victims, this is a job that pays and that's all. It's all silent now._

'Tin Horn. Cost him a dime'

Outside the club…

'Raven'

Can't believe he shot him, I'm leaving that guy, he's fucking insane

'RAVEN!'

I turn and face him

'Let's go'

'No'

_I blink in astonishment, she carries on walking_

Chucking, he says 'Raven, seriously, let's go?'

'Stop stalking me! Find another driver! My shift finished an hour ago! And….and I had enough of driving you around and seeing you killing people. You can keep your seven hundred dollars. OW!'

Vincent grabbed the back of my collar, and I'm slammed against the wall, shit it hurts! His hand on my throat, ready to strangle the hell out of me, my eyes are closed due to the pain, I open my eyes as I hear a low, threatening voice.

'I'm not playing' giving me a deathly glare.

I glare back….and then…

'Ravvveeenn, u bitch!' my radio whines yet again

'What the hell is up with this lady?' releasing me and walking towards the cab

'She hates me. I think it's jealously' massaging my throat

'Really?'

'Yep' and to think we're back on speaking terms after everything.

Vincent reaches into the cab and pulls out the radio mike, clicks it on

'You harassing my gal again?' Gal? This guy is gonna cause a lot of misunderstandings

'Who are you dick?'

'Same guy you talked to last time'

'What! The two of you on a little date?'

'What's it to you if we're star crossed lover'

'Why you!' I growl at him, giving him the finger

'Whatever, that slut's mum keeps calling me every ten minutes and those two kids of hers are making one hell of a racket and giving me a bloody headache down the phone' Heh serves you right.

_Kids? This kid right here has kids? She doesn't seem the type though_

'Here, careful'

I take the mike and click it on

'Stop calling me slut, slut! What's up?'

'Your mama keeps calling like it's the end of the world or something? Why didn't you show up?'

Vincent whispers 'Show up for what'

I ignore him

'I understand, don't worry I'll text her'

'Show up for what?' I get my phone out

'She's in the hospital'

'You visit every night?'

'Yep, and I told ya, my shift finished ages ago, so she knows I ain't doing my job, but don't worry I'll text her'

'No. Don't. It'll break schedule of you don't go'

'So?'

'So people will start looking for you, this cab. That's not good'

'Haha sounds like you wanna go see her now'

Wait….

'Aww hell no! No way am I taking you to see my mum! Nope not happening! Sorry. Let's go, next stop!'

_She crosses her arms and turns away, facing her back towards me, showing off her stubbornness, cute._

Vincent comes round me and is facing me, and places his gun on the roof cab

'Raven when exactly did tonight become negotiable?

'But!' I glance at the gun, thinking this through

'Fine! Whatever'

'And stop smiling!'

'Sorry, it's funny'

'Whatever' he makes me so mad!


	6. Chapter 6

Stark corridors, fluorescent lighting, patients, nurses and doctors walking about, a row of injured people are seated along one wall waiting for attention.

The automatic doors swing open and Raven and Vincent enter, the briefcase held at Vincent's side.

'Ah wait, I gotta buy something' I walk up to the gift counter

'Hmm, I'll have a Aero bar, and Mars, and for me I would like some Galaxy'

'What about flowers?'

'Why would I buy flowers for? No one likes them'

He looks at me, he's wearing his sunglasses, and in a sincere tone he says

'She carried you for nine months in her womb, so you buy flowers. Here' he actually buys flowers and hands them over to me, this guy! As if he can talk, he probably killed his family or something.

We reach the hallway where the elevator is, and we wait, the elevator arrives, and we get on. I press the button and the lean on the back wall of the elevator, and the doors start to close

'Hold the elevator please'

'Tch' Vincent puts his out hand, stopping the doors, a man slides in and join us in the elevator.

We see its Detective Ray Fanning; he doesn't see Raven in the back corner. His back is to her…

'Level five, Thanks' he says

Vincent hits the button, and the doors close, the elevator rides up, and we all stand in that awkward silence you only ever get with strangers in elevators, my heart thumping loudly as ever, as I know I'm putting my family in a very dangerous position by bringing this guy along….

'Having a good night?' Why would Vincent be talking to the other guy? Isn't that dangerous for him, he won't be able to keep a low profile. Oh well, one witness I can mention to the cops, hehe

'Mezzo-mezzo, you?'

Vincent nods 'Making do'

The elevator stops, and me and Vincent get off to the right….

Fanning continues riding up one floor, where it stops and Fanning gets off, and turns a corner, heading towards a room with a sign indicting 'MORGUE'

I enter the room with flowers, I glance back, and Vincent hovers near the doorway, good. I move towards the bed…

'Mum, hi, how you doing?' Vincent sees a young South Indian woman on the hospital bed looking very lively but with a slight look of weariness. Vincent sees the resemblance between the mother and daughter.

'Raven! I was so worried, you should of texted me if you were busy, I do worry that you overwork too much and you are forcing yourself to spend so much time at the hospital'

'Mum. Its fine, I am very good at my time management skills, and here you go' giving her the flowers 'here are some flowers'

'Wh-**  
**  
'Why buy flowers?'

'You could have bought chocolates'

_I look where those two other voices came from and I see two girls in pajamas walk in, about four years of age. Twins. But they are definitely a younger version of _

'Raven' _they both approach their older sister_

'Hey you two, waahh' _cute, jumping into their sister to give her a hug, well looks like she's squashed though hahaha_

'Missed you!'

'You saw me this morning, but I didn't just buy flowers, I bought these for you' handing them their chocolate.

'YAYYY!' they both yell in unison

'Raven! You shouldn't spoil them so much, and all your money always go to those two!'

'Mum its fine, seriously I like spoiling them'

'Hey Raven, you are so rude, introduce your friend, don't let him wait outside!'

'Wh-'with my mouth full of chocolate and crushed by my two sisters, I totally forgot about the scary dude who has been terrorizing the streets of LA.

_Guess I gotta do my bit of acting now.._

'Oh, don't worry, it's my fault Raven was held up tonight' setting his briefcase by the door and moving towards the bed to shake my mother's hand, I look at mum, dear god, she's totally misunderstanding, she thinks we are going out or something…I can totally read her expression right now, jeez…..

'Oh its fine, my, you sure are different from Raven's delinquent friends'

'Muuum, we ain't delinquents, we just have too much fun sometimes'

'Kyyaaaa!, the three of you on the floor like that is sooo cute, I gotta take a picture!' her and her pictures, she's takes so many, there's like fifty albums of us alone at home.

'Shush mum, we got company' _cute family_

'I'm sure you know by now, how you got to take a gun to her head to make do anything'

'Tell me about' he grins at me, I look away and fix Melanie's hair

'But you must be proud of her'

'Of course I am, she's my little fighter, and sure she can be trouble at times but if it weren't for her, Melanie and Melissa wou-

'Mum, stop, he doesn't need to know, in fact, Vincent shall we go?'

'No, I am interested, please tell me more'

'Mum, sto-'I see the briefcase on the floor; a very stupid idea just came into my head.

'What's your name again?'

'Vincent'

I kiss Melanie and Melissa goodbye and with my finger to my lips I tell them to hush and stay quiet.

'Yeah she is a delinquent, but she's a lovely person, and she works so hard to take care of this family, even though it's supposed to be my job'

I grab the brief and walk out, unseen….

'I mean standing up against her father, he was scary, and so she's my number one'

'Will you come again?'

'Maybe, who knows, I'm in town only tonight'

'When you come back?'

'Sure, I promise'

'Well it was a pleasure to meet you Vincent'

'Raven lets-'_she's no where in sight, the twins are smiling, I look round, my brief is gone…..that kid sure has balls._

_I race out of the room into the hallway, I spin around trying to see where Raven went, I see nothing but a few patients, and hospital staff, shit! And a door marked 'Stairs' swinging shut at the end of the hallway. Guess I'm heading for the stairs._

_I burst through the doors into the stairwell, I hear running footsteps below, I peer over the railing, and I see Raven, three flights down._

Vincent sees her clutching the brief, and takes off after her, plunging down the stairs at breakneck speed

I run frantically down the steps, hurtling from one landing to the next, phew, I'm out of breath already, no good. I hear footsteps coming from above, damn, not a smart move this was….

_I'm going down the steps like a madman, what the hell was she thinking, that bitch, she thinks she can get away from a professional hitman like me, I get out my H+K from under my jacket, just in case…..  
_  
Raven comes through the stairway door, racing like crazy along a row of huge industrial washers, trying to make it to the exit door at the far end, and Vincent bursts from the stairwell in pursuit, pausing to put two hands on his H+K, aiming down the length of the laundry room, as Raven vanishes through the exit door at the far end.

I race out, and crash open doors that lead to the parking lot.

'Shit what the hell was I thinking?' mumbling to myself

'I'LL GO BACK AND KILL THEM'

I freeze, its feels like my heart suddenly stopped beating like drum, I turn round, and he's stopped as well, breathing heavily, his gun aimed at me. Fuck, that's why I didn't want him to meet my family, he can totally use them against me, and it's like my weakness….not fair. He approaches me, I shift backwards, scared what's going to happen next, but the brief is yanked out of my hands.

He hisses 'what the fuck was that' his eyes filled with an angry fire that burns through me

'Um…jazz?'

'Wahhh, ouch!' I'm suddenly on the ground, he tripped me up, I notice Vincent, above, staring at me, is he gonna kill me now?

'Are we getting hostile hon? What were you thinking trying to run?' each syllable like a bullet….

'Well….you started all this hostility in the first place, and anyway I had a sudden urge to get you away from my family' He's just staring at me, I can't read his expression then he breaks into a grin

'Kid, didn't think you could that'

'You admiring me or something?'

I'm suddenly pulled to my feet; I guess I'm still alive. For now.

Meanwhile, at the morgue

Fanning is in the cold room with a morgue attendant, who is checking his clipboard.

'We had three come in tonight, Two John Does, maybe one's your guy'

The attendant nods at the first of the four plastic wrapped corpses lying on stainless steel tables, Fanning draws the sheet back: Homeless Man with a beard

'Nah, not Ramone'

Fanning nods at the next corpse

'Try that one'

The attendant draws the sheet back, its one of the guys who tried to mug Vincent

'No, next'

'You know what's funny; these three came in within half an hour of each other, and the kid and that last guy. They were done by the same shooter'

'Why do say that?' Fanning is alert now

'Same wound pattern. Two in the sternum, one in the head, and this cat is shooting tight groups; double taps are a couple millimeters apart'

Intrigued, Fanning steps to the fourth corpse, and pulls back the sheet. Fanning stares down at the dead face. Instant recognition.

Minutes later, an amped up Fanning is talking with Weidner

'Yeah I'm still at the hospital, no Ramone but you'll never guess who else is in the meat locker'

'Elvis Presley'

'Sylvester Clarke. Criminal lawyer turned lawyer-criminal'

'Also known as 'Sly' to his clients…'

'….including my high diving informant, Ramone, who he represented, who's still missing. Both of whom were in the exotic - substance business'

'Ramone and Clarke in one night?'

'In one night. Something bad is going down. And I don't think the Feeb know about it'

Weidner hangs up, hauling himself off the bed…..

**  
**

__

****

****


	7. Chapter 7

We are driving again, we drive in silence, but I feel Vincent's gaze on the back of my neck.

'So tell me'

'Tell you what exactly?'

'What your mother was on about?'

Vincent is looking at his PC

'Why?'

'Cuz we have time'

'Well before Melissa and Melanie were born, we were a family of three, him, mum and me. When I was little, Dad did seem a bit angry at my mum, and I often saw her in bruises, but she'd tell me she fell down or something, I didn't understand anything when I was a kid'

'You are still a kid' I see him smirk

'Whatever man, anyway when I got older I realized my Dad was beating her, and one day he got angry in front of me and started hitting mum, I tried to tell him to stop, but he started on me. I often got beat cuz I always tried to stop him so to ease the pain of my mum, she would always tell me to stop, but I never listened. I still went school though, so people always assumed with my character that I gotten into fights'

'I'm guessing you often get into fights anyway' Bingo

'Yeah, but my close friends were the only ones who knew that some of the bruises weren't from kids'

'Things went on like that for a long time, and then when I was fourteen, mum told me and dad that she was pregnant, we were happy, happier then we ever were before. Until one night, an argument about money got my Dad angry again, and he actually got a baseball bat and was prepared to hit mum…my mum who was four moths pregnant with Melissa and Melanie, they wouldn't be here..if…I hadn't..' The memory of that night making feel angry, the moment where I felt like I had nothing to lose.

'You interfered?' _jeez kid, a baseball bat swung by a full grown adult can kill you_

'I just snapped, I realized that this man was not our father. Mum was on the floor begging him to stop, but as he swung it down, I quickly shielded mum, the bat hit me in the left shoulder' _Ouch_

'But weirdly enough I didn't feel any pain; I don't even know how my shoulder looked like at the time. Anger was all I felt, and the urge to destroy the man in front of me, I had taken preparations just in case'

'Preparations…?'

I take a breath 'I took out a gun from my pocket with my right hand, I aimed and pulled the trigger, and I then passed out. I was in the hospital for months, they tell me my left arm is useless for throwing and punching, and carrying things, it super weak'

'And you father? Did he die?'

'No, but he was sent to jail, and restrained from seeing the family. And plus my mum told the judge how he pulled the gun, and I got the baseball bat and we fought, and then I took the gun and shot, so there was no charges against me'

Silence

'We've been happier ever since'

'So why are you working as a cabbie? For your family?'

'Yep'

'Uh huh?' he's judging me, I think

'I've got hospital bills to pay, and plus Melanie and Melissa they need to grow up into fine women, so I need to help them do that'

'Go to a dance club called Fever, you know it'

'Yeah, that mad place filled with Koreans; well it's pretty cool though'

'Your mum is very different, not what I expected a mum would be'

'Don't know if that's a good thing though, but she's different from most mums' haha'

'I wouldn't know, never had one'

'Don't stare at me like that, I had one but she died in childbirth'

'I'm sorry'

'My father, he was a prick just like yours, hated everything I did, got drunk, and beat me up all the time'

'Then what?'

Intimately 'I killed him'

EHHHH, I was right! Dang…..

'I was twelve' he's got to be fucking with me

'He was the first'

I turn round, and he sees my look, and laughs

'I'm kidding. He died of liver cancer'

'I'm sorry'

'No your not'

'Hey, wait, I am, you are talking to the girl who got her own shoulder smashed to bits by her own father' Maybe that's why he's a hitman, but then again, I never turned out like him….

Meanwhile….

Federal Agents clustered loosely at a row of monitors, in a hard location, on the monitors are multiple views of a Mexican club; two are of a hospital, and its parking lot, and of several homes, and cars. The room is littered with surveillance equipment and pizza boxes.

Agent Pedrosa reacts to a soft knock on the door. Fanning and Weidner are ushered in. Pedrosa turns to them both for quick introductions.

' Weidner. Narcotics Division'

'Detective Ray , Major Nar…'

Pedrosa interrupts, shaking their hands

'Yeah, hi, okay. Agent Frank Pedrosa'

'Thanks for seeing us'

'Yeah. You're welcome. How can I help? What's up? Why do you wanna know about our case?

'Has there been any unusual activity tonight?'

'As in….'

'As in a murder or maybe a murder spree on Wilshire Central'

'All quiet on the western front. Various people are asleep. Various people are not. They come and go in cars, pickups and taxis. Other than that we're watching air move. And so your interest in our case?'

Fanning trades a surprised look with Weidner. A taxi? Fanning gestures. Pedrosa nods the okay, and Fanning rushes to the monitor which shows Raven's taxi heading out of the hospital.

'Hood's all beat to shit'

Weidner's fumbling on his cell phone, out, already dialing.

'On what? The taxi?'

'Yeah'

'What's the license number?'

A technician pauses the video and using the joystick zooms in on the cab, and scribbles down the number…

The feds go apeshit at what they've been told. Meanwhile, Weidner answers his cell.

'Are you telling me Ramone Gallardo and Sylvester Clarke were murdered tonight? Both killed?

'Sylvester for sure, Ramone…'

'We got another D.O.A. One Daniel Baker in South Central'

'That's three? He killed three in one night?' a federal agent says

'Three what?'

Pedrosa answers 'Three witnesses, for a secret grand jury, secret my ass…'

'So who's left? Before you lose them, too…'

'Yeah, uh huh… she? Raven, eighteen years of age? Srilankan-American, small build, black hair…are you sure?'

Meanwhile, Pedrosa has separated from the group and on both a hard line and a Nextel is speaking urgently….

'LA101 to chase units…I want a three-car revolving tail on that cab, we got to take down the driver before she gets to where she's going'

'Locate our witness, Peter Yip…wife, girlfriends, mommy, and daddy whatever. Get him evacuated. Get him safe'

'On the cab, the assault team, when they are in place, we'll do the take down. Do NOT spook her before. I want Air Support up and to maintain at 1,500 feet.

Meanwhile….

Fanning is still on the cell phone

'E-mail me her license. Okay I'll wait….'

'You'll be late. Jump on the freeway and take me to the 105 west'

'Why?' I'm the driver and I think I know the streets better than you

'Do it'

While the Feds are departing to interdict the killer before 'she' can take their next witness, Fanning tries to get a word in edgeways to a fast waling Pedrosa….

'According to the cab company's dispatcher this cabbie's been driving that cab for three years….and has a young family….'

'So what?'

'…..so, you're telling me this girl walks into a phone booth, and shazaam, changes into a meat- eater, super assassin? What's she do, squeeze 'em in between fares?'

'No. Cabdriver Raven is floating down a storm drain'

'Really, how can you be so sure?'

'Look. We see private – sector security working for cartel groups on Columbia, Russia, México…hiring ex- Special Forces types, ex KGB all the time, people with trigger time, skill sets…real tradecraft…and look like cabdrivers'

As they near their cars….

'What are you gonna do?'

'Take down her ass. Save our witness.'

Pedrosa and the other Feds climb into their cars and drive off

Fanning looks Weidner

'What if they're wrong?'

'We can't do anything, they won't listen, and this is their case'

'There is something else going on'

'It's not our game!'

'Pedrosa, Pedrosa….this is air support…'

'LA103 to Air 4…you still have her?'

'Air 4 to LA103. I lost her. You're in controlled air space. I gotta stay out till I get clearance from LAX tower'

'You lost her? She can head anywhere out of LAX…'

Pedrosa's plan to intercept and take down the assassin just crashed. He rapidly recalculates.

'They locate Peter Yip?'

'On with the wife. She thinks he's at Fever. They called. Can't get through'

'Washington and Crenshaw. Move!'

Raven and Vincent are riding in pensive silence through the neon visual noise of Korea town.

'You know, after this you should meet a guy'

'Huh?' Not what I would expect from him

'You need someone to rely on, and to relieve some of your stress' I hear the laughter in his voice

'I don't know man, my family comes first'

'Hmmm, well time is fleeting. Life is short. One day it's gone…you make it out of this alive, you should go out and meet a guy. That's what I think….anyway…' Wow, a not so important speculation from Vincent…ain't listening to him either way.

The streets are empty, its four am. Reflected streetlights flow up the windshield, the city seems dangerous. Raven and Vincent's attention, suddenly, is taken by something else. Three coyotes separate and apart lope diagonally across Sunset. Hunting. Indifferent to urban habitation, as if they, not we, own this city…

Raven parks her cab into the Fever forecourt, there's chaotic valet parking with Bentleys, a Lambo in choice spots. The party -till-dawn crowd, and they are pretty much in the thick of it…..

'We get Yip out. You take the assassin. Clean shot! Watch your backgrounds' Pedrosa tells his team, and then approaches the front entrance; they are a stooped by a bouncer who tries to get his superiors to stops the feds in tactical gear to stop, but fails…meanwhile…

Vincent propels Raven past a bar, through screens of glass, frosted alcoves…jammed with people.

'Booth towards the back. That's where he hangs. Fat Korean guy. Terminal acne as youth. You go first' while the hell do I have to come? I guess I can use this as opportunity to run.

'Fifteen feet in front and three to my left. Wander, and innocent bystanders get the first rounds. Clear?

'Clear' so much for using this as an opportunity to run away. Jeez…

Vincent with Raven in front and to his left, snakes through the crowd, swimming among them, scanning for Peter Yip, seeking his target in the back booths…..

Pedrosa and the feds enter up the stairs, staying as discrete as possible while urgent. They search for Raven among the crowds of people, trying to spot her before she can assassinate Peter Yip. Pedrosa searches, desperately, for Peter Yip, his last witness, to get him to safety.

Vincent, who is deeper among the dancers, now sees Peter Yip. He's located towards the back wall across the dance floor in a booth on a raised area in the semi – circular room. With him are two young Korean girls. The view gets blocked by the Korean bodyguards near the booth, facing out. Behind the booth are five or six Korean gangsters. But in the dance floor, are bodyguards within the crowd, looking for trouble before it gets to the row of booths and Peter Yip.

Raven receives a glance from Vincent, she's gestured down the middle of the dance floor towards the rear. They work their way through the mass of bodies, Vincent takes an oblique path, sliding along a convex side wall. His path brings Vincent up behind bodyguard #1, who looks to the right as, Vincent pounds a fist into his kidney, the bodyguard's head is twisted around and torn back, the drops to the ground. Vincent's focus is already on bodyguard#2, a he kicks down with a ferocious force, slamming bodyguard #1 into unconsciousness…..

Bodyguard #2 turns, and Vincent's' foot slams his knee sideways, breaking it, Vincent's palm bounces the man's forehead back, his fist slams into his exposed neck, so fast the bodyguard did not see it.

'Fuck! He is not human' Raven who is buffeted by dancers, backs away as Bodyguard #3, who saw the assault on one of the bodyguards. He grabs for Vincent, who breaks the grab, and pulls the guard's head and neck down towards him, slams his knee into his rib cage twice, breaking things, spins the man backwards, rips his head sideways and back, a centimeter from breaking, and holding it there with his left arm, Vincent's right hand grabs his H+K as he moves towards Peter Yip.

Pedrosa sees Yip..

'There's Yip! Get him out of here'

The Feds move torwards to booth, and while Pedrosa crosses the floor, sees the disturbance and over his right shoulder, right there is…..

'RAVEN!'

Into radio...'Middle of the dance floor! There she is'

Feds with assault weapons push through the dancers towards Raven….

'FBI! FREEZE, RAVEN! DON'T MOVE! FREEZE! HANDS IN THE AIR!'

'Huh?' why the hell is my name being called?

'Oh fuck!' there's like three, four weapons of cops fighting through the crowd, and they are all aimed at me!

The people who aren't falling away from her are confused. Raven is the most harmless person in the room..

My hands are up 'Don't shoot; I'm not the one you are looking for!'

But the Korean hip –hop is so loud that no one can hear…..

Meanwhile, the bodyguards struggle to see from where the threat is coming from, and the Korean gangsters behind the booth take out their weapons as they see Feds slide I behind the patrons, closing in, to get Yip to safety….

To the gangsters 'FREEZE! HANDS IN THE AIR! ON YOUR KNEES! NOW!

One Korean gangster who is pushed sideways by a Fed, who's trying to reach Yip, sees the weapon in the Fed's hand. So pulls his 9mm, which the other Fed shoves sideways but the gun fires, hitting an incoming Pedrosa in the upper thigh, slamming him face first to the floor.

And with the first gunshot, all hell breaks loose…..

I dropped to floor, man all hell has broken loose, I'm gonna die, if not by these cops, then by Vincent. Rounds are fired from everywhere; it is deafening, wait I think they are all aimed at me! Shit! A dancer gets hit in front me, and drops in front me, dead. I'm frozen….the fear comes back to me, making me numb…

Paco and Rubio who have been taking orders from Felix, and checking all night if the target's been killed job's they decide to take out this Raven girl.

Vincent advancing to Yip, sees the red line through the smoke and the jewel of a laser point dance around Raven's ear. He sees the source, and punches three rounds into Rubio.

He..he saved me…he saved my life! I'm so confused, whose side I'm I supposed to be on, the cops are trying to kill me and shit…and then there's Vincent…who unbelievably saved my life!

Peter Yip is protected by his confused scrum of Korean gangsters and bodyguards. The bodyguards struggle to get him out.

Vincent, the only calm in the storm, is moving on to the cluster of protection at Peter Yip's booth, when from the left, the first bodyguard breathing in rasps grabs for the gun in Vincent's right hand, as Raven is on the floor amid destroyed, overturned tables, panicked dancers.

'I'm in a movie, there's no way this shit is real' someone grabs my hand, I jump and look, it's a woman, someone who came to have a good time

'Are you alright hon? We'd better get out of here' smiling at me like I'm a lost child….

'Huh?' she thinks I'm a lost child! She pulls me into the crowd and towards the exit, before listening to any of my protests.

A heavy Korean gangster slams Vincent's gun hand with a short baton. Vincent's disarmed. Two men are on him. A knife in Vincent's left hand sinks into the bodyguard's leg, dropping him. The gangster swings the baton for Vincent's head. Vincent steps inside, traps the man's arm. Take his baton, releases his torqued body and backhands it across the gangster's neck. Vincent slams a fore hand across his ribs. The concussed gangster falls backwards. Vincent swiftly places four shots into Bodyguard#4, and nears Yip's booth.

A Korean gangster is blown back. Another tries to help Yip escape over the back. He's hit. Peter Yip falls back into the banquette, his eyes wider because Vincent's coming. Vincent reloads. As his thumb hits the slide release and it jacks forward, he already fired a round into Yip. Yip's eyes at the fierce face of death approaching, are filled in his last moments with Vincent, who fires four rounds. That fast. And the wall of the frosted glass with a plane of water running down behind it dead Peter Yip is untouched, serene.

Raven is pulled past the karaoke and music recording rooms and escape down the back stairs. They reach the bottom of the stairs. They nearly reach the exit door to the back alley.

'Do you have anyone to call to pick you up?'

'Ah wait, I'm been trying to tell I'm with some-'this lady is too nice, I need to go back, we go through the door, and emerge into the side street.

BOOM BOOM BOOM she's dead before she hits the floor. I freeze up again, and just stare at the lifeless body in front of me, the person who tried to help me, a total stranger, without knowing anything.

Raven stands there horrified at what she just witnessed. Vincent grabs Raven. Propelling her forward.

Fiercely Vincent says 'GET IN' he throws Raven behind the wheel, and gets in the back

'DRIVE!'

I hit the gas, my door is left open, my hands barely on the wheel, it's as if my driving and motor skills are impaired, scraping off the adjacent cards. The nice lady, now motionless, is left behind.


	8. Chapter 8

The yellow can is the only vehicle heading east. Everything else streams west. Emergency vehicles. Flashers.

I'm in a dazed, back in this hell….eternally in my cab's front seat, and soon I'll die in this cab.

'What a clusterfuck. Only thing that didn't show up was the Polish cavalry'

My life is being controlled by Vincent, it's a nightmare, and he's starting to piss me off!

_So compliant, no. that's not it, I feel anger from her. Oh._

'Ooh I see, you don't wanna talk to me, tell me to fuck off'

'Fuck off'

Vincent chuckles and turns his attention out of the window at the streams of emergency vehicles, at the earpiece, filled with LAPD and news helicopters.

'What! The blood, bodily fluid and death get to you? Just remember we all die anyway'

'Why did you have to kill that lady! She was trying to help me; she thought I was a lost kid! You couldn't of just grabbed me or something! That lady probably has a family, maybe kids who gotta grow up without a mother, she was a nice lady and you kil-'

'So I shoulda saved her cuz she has a family'

'Yes!'

'Sorry but it's what I do for a living'

'heh, some living'

'Head downtown'

'What's downtown?'

'How are you at math? I was hired for five hits. I did four'

'Che, one more'

'There you go!'

'Why didn't you just kill me and find another cab!'

'Cause you're good, we're in this together. You know…fates intertwined. Cosmic coincidence. All that crap'

'That is the worst bullshit I ever heard'

'Yeah but you believed my other bullshit about bad guys killing bad guys' say what?

'So, what did they do?'

'They all are witness for the prosecution. It's some major federal indictment against somebody who majorly does not want to get indicted'

'Ah fuck, so that's the reason'

'That's the why. There is no reason. No good reason. No bad reason to live or to die'

'Then what are you?'

'Indifferent'

Vincent looks out at the window again

'Get with it. Get over it, millions of galaxies of hundreds of millions of stars and a speck on one in a blink…that's us. Lost in space. The universe doesn't care about you. The lady, you, me? Who notices?'

'You know, you are just low, I mean you just some cold, mean killing machine. Bet you can't even switch off and make friends, most likely you have no friends. Sorry to say this but, you is missing a few parts that make you human'

'Yeah. But what about you?'

'What about me?'

'Hmph, whose life are you living? You are just using the excuse of taking care of your family so you don't have to aspire to be anything else. You just gonna stay in this yellow and orange prison. Every day.

The needle on the speedometer is creeping past forty….

'What the hell is that man? You think I want to be in this mess forever! I do want to be something one day, but not now'

'Slow down'

'My family is my life, my mum is incredibly optimistic that it's crazy, I love Melanie and Melissa to bits'

Needle pushing sixty….

'But you know what, according to you, it doesn't matter. Cause we are…insignificant out here in this big –ass nowhere. Twilight Zone shit. Says the badass sociopath in my backseat. But there's one thing I gotta thank you for, thanks for saving my life' I must have gone crazy.

The cab goes blasting through an intersection on a red light. A Los Angeles Time delivery truck slams its breaks, as Raven swerves, barely avoiding a collision.

'That was a red light!'

I glance in the rearview, I'm glad to see Vincent unsettled.

'What's it all matter? If I go through a red light or a green light, there's no reason is there? Nothing to lose. Right?'

Vincent's aims his H+K at my head, I nearly laugh, dear god, I am crazy.

'Slow the hell down!'

'Why? What are you gonna do? Pull the trigger? Kill us? Go ahead, man! Shoot my ass! I've been waiting all night for you to do that'

'Slow down!'

'You know Vincent; there was always something I wanted to say to you'

Their eyes meet in the rearview mirror. Vincent is arrested by a look in Raven that he's not seen before. It's the even, confrontational look of a person with nothing to lose.

'Go fuck yourself'

Raven slams on the brakes and cranks the steering wheel hard to the right, the right wheel hits a low divider, the rear end comes unstuck, rotating over the front right and flipping into a violent roll onto it roof, spinning down the street, smashing off other cars, pieces falling off, spewing glass and then settling upside down, revolving slowly to a creaking stop, antifreeze spilling across the pavement. Then everything goes silent, motionless, still.

Phew, that was some ride. I'm trapped upside down; thanks to my seatbelt I'm alive. Damn, my roof caved in on one side. Something trickles down my face; I'm guessing its blood. Oh well I've been through worst. Huh? There's movement in the back. A sharp intake of breath, then…

'Well. That was brilliant'

'Was your seatbelt fastened, honey?' then

'Woah!' a shiny object plunges through the headrest, missing me by inches, haha guess he wants to kill me now. I release my seatbelt; I drop and hit the ceiling of the cab. 'Ouch'

_That bitch! I'm fucking gonna kill her, and then her family; she's messed up my work completely! I lunge forward with my knife; Raven starts fighting wildly to keep the knife at bay, and crawls quickly out of the window, lucky that she's small. I hear a police siren; I kick out the window on my side, and quickly get out._

I'm crawling away from the cab, keeping low, the taxi between us, and I look back, and see Vincent in glimpses, running off into the night and vanishing into the darkness, as the police sirens also disappear. I push myself painfully to my feet. Wow this is a surreal moment; I'm standing by my overturned cab, the empty city around me, and the cool night air.

I'm Alive. I survived the night; blood is pumping though my veins is a fact. Ahahahahaha. I never felt so happy.


	9. Chapter 9

How good is life?

I fall to the ground, catching my breath back

'Ow, I'm in pain' I look at my cab, man. I hope I can get a new one. I see granules of shattered glass, and then Vincent's briefcase, with a PC inside, and it's still on, miraculously surviving the crash. I see two faces on the screen; one is the Korean guy and a lady 'Annie Farrell. Assistant U.S Attorney' Shit, I totally get it now, Vincent was killing people for the bad side, he was killing witnesses, and the fifth stop, the lawyer who was in charge of the investigation or whatever, was going down. Should I call the cops? No! They are out to kill me too. But I gotta go and save her, I never had a choice before, I was scared in the beginning but now, a fire is burning inside me, and it won't go out. Next to the brief, I see Vincent's gun, I know I'm gonna get my fingerprints on the gun that killed everyone but I don't care anymore.

I start running, I'm not a trained assassin, and hell, I don't stand a chance against Vincent. But I'm purely operating on instinct. The gun in my hand, it's been a long time since I held a gun. The city is quiet; I only hear the sound of my feet hitting the pavement, as I race up the middle of the street. I take out my cell phone, I keep running and dialing the number I got from the PC.

'Damn!' no signal, great. I stop, gasping for air. I realize I'm standing near a parking structure, I dash towards it, my legs in pain, and I feel a throbbing sensation in my left shoulder, must've been from the crash, great it's gonna be as useless as ever. I run up the stairs, taking two steps at a time, hopefully I'll get a better signal.

I see the federal building across the freeway. Dark offices. Only a few have lights on. Except three floors that are completely lit. I hold the cell phone to my ear

'C'mon, go through, go through' I hear static and then ringing. YES! I'm through….

Meanwhile, in the Federal Building, Vincent uses a card to gain access to the elevator lobby without setting off the alarms. The lobby beyond Vincent is vacant, that it looks sinister. Vincent enters the elevator, and rides up, watching the numbers climb.

I'm waiting, my heart is pounding, I scan the windows, and I then see a figure on the uppermost well –lit floor, through the south windows, cross an office to grab a phone. That must be Annie.

In the US Attorney's office, Annie lays down some files, and grabs up the phone, bleary from exhaustion. It truly was an all-nighter.

'Annie Farrell'

'The lawyer?...' I seem to be out of breath

'Yes, it is, erm this is a strange time to be calling'' confusion at this sudden call

'Look! This is gonna sound crazy, but a man is coming to kill you'

'Okay kid, not funn-'

'Seriously lady, he's coming to kill you, his name is Vincent!'

'Is this a joke?'

'It has something to do with people in Culiacan and Bogota' I try and remember everything that happened tonight

'You saying this is all connected to Felix?'

'Say who?'

The elevators doors slide open. Vincent emerges onto the floor, using the master keycard to enter the office. Vincent's at a wooden door in the wood and glass office interior, and kicks in the door at the lock. It slams open. He's through, H+K up. Empty. No one's home. Vincent steps in…

Annie tries to decipher what Raven is saying through the cell phone

'How do you know about my case? I don't understand..?'

'He's killed four people already tonight, I think they are witnesses, the fat guy, the penthouse man, the jazz man and the Korean guy. You're the last one! He somehow ended up in my cab and I was forced to drive the dude around, but then I crashed and he we-'

I look across the freeway, no way! Vincent is looking through an office.

Vincent knows she's still here, what with the purse, take out, coffee cups.

'He's two floors below you'

'In my office!'

'He doesn't know you're there'

'What's your name?'

'Raven'

'Raven, where are you?'

'Me? I'm on top of a car park, across the freeway'

Annie looks out of the window and sees the parking structure below and a speck – the one who is on the phone to her now.

'Where are you then?'

'Floor sixteen, Law Library and Files'

Vincent pauses from examining offices. His eyes going to a desk phone. Three banks of extension. All dark, except for one. Next to it is the extension's location.

Files Section, 16th FI.

Vincent looks up. He knows where she is….

I keep an eye on Vincent, and then I realized that Vincent knows where she is…

'Shit!' as I see him walk out

'What'

'Looks like he knows where you are, call 911, and hide somewhere, and don't worry I'm on my way'

'Hello? Where are you going?' No use, she's gone, there's no reason to come here, where there's obviously danger. I punch a clear line, and dial 911.

I gotta get to her fast! I glance over the edge of the car park and see the grass slope below. There's no time to think. Fuck it! I jump, clumsily falling, rolling all the way down; I'm going to meet a lawyer in such a messy state. I push myself to my feet, my ankle twisted, I half race, and limp across the bridge over the Harbor Freeway to the office building….

Annie listens to the 911 recording

'call will be answered on the order received. If this is not an emergency….'

I enter the federal building, still limping. The lobby is strangely vacant. No security guards, then I see a long smear of blood across the white stone…..

Annie finally hears a click on the line as

'911. How can I help you…?

'There's a man in the building! He's trying to kill me. I'm….

However in the utility room, WHACK, Vincent swings his axe again, instantly severing the 16th floor's power and telephone truck line. Sparks emit from the bundled cables in the thick conduit. He tosses the ax, exits into the hallway, jabs the elevator button….

Annie finds herself talking to a dead line….

I follow where the blood goes and see it's a dead night watchwoman squeezed behind the security desk. I look away and try to get through the glass doors that need a card to get in. I attempt to hurl a steel trash can at the glass wall with all my might but my shoulder burns with pain and I drop the can. I think for a while, I'm stopped by a glass door, just great! I realize there's an H+K in my hand. Duuh! I aim, brace myself. Squeeze the trigger. Nothing. Is there a safety on this thing? Found it! I try again. I fire two shots into the glass door. The gun almost kicks out of my hand. But the door disintegrates. I walk through….

Annie, frozen with indecision. What to do? Stay or go? The corridor's dark. Terrifying. She forces herself to move, to cross the office, run now…for the door to the…but she only gets teen feet before she's stopped by a door opening. A soft footstep. Somebody's there. She backs up, against the floor to ceiling windows. Frozen, her heart pounding, listening. She backs up further towards the windows, back into the files section. There is nowhere to hide.

Annie crouches under a table and crawls backwards. She can't hear a thing. Her heart pounds. The silence makes her want to scream. A shadow? Did she see a shadow pass against the murky darkness out there? A soft sound. But did she hear it, or is she imagining it? The breath catches in her throat. Eyes wide.

The shadow, in a bullpen by a corridor. It lurks, silently. Waiting. It's Vincent. Then he moves, softly. Quietly.

Annie is on her hands and knees, trying to crawl away soundlessly, not realizing that walking upon her, silently, from the back is Vincent. She doesn't know. He's a shadow in the dimness.

Annie senses. Stops. Turns…and sees the shape of Vincent, the stolen gun comes up.

'Please, don't kill me' Annie begs

Vincent's eyes are cold, unsympathetic. His finger squeezing off the slack on the trigger.

Annie closes her eyes, waiting for the end.

Vincent senses something and turns.

A silhouette in the doorway. Aiming a gun. Vincent can't bring himself to believe it.

'Raven?'

'Let her go' my hand holding the gun steady

'Let her go?' He smiles, it's ruthless, almost canine

T_his kid is gonna die; there is no where she can stand a chance against me. _

'What are you gonna do, shoot m—'

BLAM! A flash. Vincent goes down sprawling.

Raven rushes up to Annie, grabs her arm, and running for the door. I hear a groan.

Vincent gets behind cover. Sitting up, eyes glittering, hand clasped to the side of his head, blood coursing through his fingers. _Jesus. Raven. You shot my ear off._

He looks at the fleeing Raven

'Okay Raven, get ready for the Polish cavalry!'

'RAVEN!'

I hear Vincent calling my name.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM! Gunshots punch through the glass, inches from me and Annie. Yeah, I didn't really think about what to do if Vincent chases me. We enter the elevator.

The glass wall explodes into the corridor, by a chair, crashing through it, followed by Vincent, I hit the ground – floor button, and 'close', the doors are taking forever to close, before they do I see Vincent nearing the elevator, with his gun getting higher. I grab Annie's hand and pull her to the floor. I hear bullets punch through the metal doors, but the elevator starts moving down.

Vincent is left behind, he darts for the stairs.

I get up, breathing hard, leaning on the wall of the elevator before sliding back to the floor

'Phew, that was scary'

'He knows you pretty well I think, he wasn't expecting you to shoot him and was surprised when you did' Really? How the hell did she get the time to analyze Vincent?

'Heh you could say that, he became my love councilor and met my family'

'Thank You'

'Eh?' looking up to Annie, who has a genuine smile on her face.

'I would of died, If it weren't for you' Annie's blood freezing when she remembers the gun, and the cold hard stare from Vincent.

'Its fine' I smile back

The doors open, and we race across the lobby for the exit.

Vincent careens down the steps, the entire side of his head bloody. He slams through a door into the lobby. He finds the elevator standing empty. He hears a door alarm, turns, runs across the lobby. He goes through the door and races down the frozen escalator.

Holding on to Annie's hand, we enter the MTA, and race towards the boarding area. There's no train, I don't know what to do. We run down another staircase to the Blue Line, there's no train here, either! Man we need to get away, before that scary bastard comes and gets us.

Vincent sees Raven and Annie seventy five yards away, racing down the stairs. _It's a difficult shot, I aim, take a deep breath, and…._

BOOM! BOOOM! BOOM! Three rounds are fired from somewhere; bullets are chewing craters in the ceramic tiles, barely missing us. Huh? A train! Where? Damn! It's upstairs!

'Annie, we are going back upstairs'

She nods, very out of breath. We run down the platform for the stairs back up to the Green Line.

Vincent running sees the train arriving on the opposite platform. He looks down the stairs to the Blue Line. A train pulls there too! _Heh decision time._

We get onto the fourth subway car, crawling and staying low on the floor, waiting for the doors to close, the train pulls out. I pray that Vincent hasn't followed.

_I need to decide, I need to second guess Raven, where would she go? The train takes fucking forever to leave. The doors start to close, sliding permanently shut. _

Then he knows. With no hesitation, he leaps off the platform onto the rails as the train starts to pull out.

I crumple into a seat, I know I shouldn't relax but I just need a moment to rest.

'Are you ok?' Annie says in a tone of concern

'Yeah, just need to-'I sense something menacing, and turn and I see Vincent standing in the fifth car, staring at me. If looks could kill, I would be dead already; he does not look like a happy man. Well I did shoot him, yeah….things don't seem to be improving when I rebel against him

I grab Annie and race into the second car as bullets pound through the metal and glass. Vincent is approaching. Why the hell do I feel as if the terminator is coming after me? Ah shit!

We reach the first and final car. We slide the door shut, yes this is as far as we can go. Annie is panting hard, terrified. My back against the wall, arm keeping the door handle wedged tight, my head just below the door's window.

The train goes black, then the light return, stuttering, great now the train is against me! I look up, and peer through the window, ready to duck if bullets start flying. Shit! Here comes fucking Vincent, he just entered the second car. He sees me, and shouts, barely audible.

'YOU CAN'T WIN RAVEN! I DO THIS FOR A LIVING!'

I take out the H+K and slide the clip, and see I have one bullet left. Great. Annie sees this and bites her lip; her eyes accepting that we are gonna die.

I look through the window again, he keeps coming, a .45 at his side, a sheet of blood down his face, he's scaring the shit out of the early morning passengers, and I can't help but smile. But I know what I want to do. I clutch the H+K, take a deep breath, and step to the side to face Vincent. I aim, the train enters a tunnel and then I close my eyes…

BLAM! BOOM! Two flashes, glass shatters, then silence….

Seems like I wasn't the only one who had one bullet. I slowly open my eyes. I do a quick scan of my body, I'm...I'm okay. I look at Vincent, he's okay too, a look of surprise on his face.

The train stops and I look at where we stop, and without thinking I go through the door and grab Vincent's wrist and drag him out of the train. We walk briskly in silence; I guess we are both in shock. I didn't kill him and he didn't kill me, is this a messed up friendship?

I stop, and let go of his hand and turn around, I hold my palm out. Vincent looks down, confused as ever.

'Ahem, my five hundred dollars, I went to all the stops and I've brought you to LAX' A plane flies over head.

'You…You're letting me go'

'I'm doing my job'

An evil smirk on his face 'You know, I could come back and kill you'

I'm taking a gamble, I must be stupid, this guy will come and kill me, but it doesn't feel right to let him go to jail or kill him.

I look away and see the motorway with taxi cabs driving here and there.

_She takes a deep breath and looks at the motorway; she knows I could come back, jeez; this kid changed a lot tonight heh I guess it was because of me, and hell I'm supposed to be an indifferent bad guy. Not gonna lie though, I do like her. Somewhat._

'I know, just stay away from my family, and come straight for me, I'll be ready'

_She looks straight at me, and smiles, weird kid._

He smiles, and limps away into the darkness

Then I black out and crumple to the floor.


End file.
